Duty calls
by MemoriesLiveOn
Summary: Damon makes a mistake and is sent to military school for six months but he returns four years later. After seeing Stefan's feeling for Elena, Damon seduces her to get at Stefan only to find himself feeling guilt ridden, he disappears and shows up again years later thinking he was over Elena Gilbert. But who really gets over their first love?
1. Chapter 1

They sat in the main room, laughing loudly as Matt tried to act out the title of a film. Caroline sat perched on Tyler's knees as she yelled things at Matt and Tyler just grinned at the back of her head happily. Bonnie and Jeremy were sat on the floor beside each other, their backs against the large dark wood coffee table. Occasionally their fingers were skim against the other's leg and they would blush secretly thinking Elena couldn't see but of course she did and she just smirked happily. Elena was sat on one side of the couch with her feet tucked underneath her as Stefan sat on the other side, stealing glances at Elena, watching her tuck the hair behind her ear as she got even more desperate to find out what Matt was trying to act out.

"The square!" Caroline cried and Matt gave her such a death glare that even she remained silent for a few seconds.

"The, the, the path!" Elena tried and Matt groaned and mimed hopping up and walking with his arms outstretched.

"The balance beam!" Caroline yelped when Matt threw a piece of popcorn at her.

"The walk!" Elena laughed loudly as Matt looked ready to burst into tears.

"The bridge to Terabithia." Everyone in the room spun round suddenly at the voice.

The deep, amused but mocking voice that came from the entrance to the room.

When Stefan narrowed his eyes to see through the darkness he gasped and stood up angrily off the couch, much to the amusement of the stranger who stepped further into the room.

It was time for everyone else to gasp now as they saw the army pants and green t-shirt tucked into them, his dark hair short and a lot less appealing except his bulkiness made even Tyler approve.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Stefan growled angrily as Damon dropped his bag on the floor.

"I'm on a break." He shrugged and stretched his arms over his head with his fingers linked.

"Bullshit!" Stefan snapped and Damon's eyebrows shot into the sky.

"Jeeze, being gone for a couple years really shows the change in little brothers." The tension between the two brothers was making it almost painful for the others to breathe. "So did I guess right?" He turns to Matt who nods slowly, confusion etched over his face.

"How are you here Damon?" Stefan hisses and Damon rolls his eyes.

"I told you, I'm on a break."

"You don't get breaks at military school!" Stefan shouts and Damon's mouth pulls into a large smirk.

"How would you know baby bro? You've never even been in the visiting quarters." A fractions of hurt slips into Damon's voice and Stefan seems embarrassed for a moment before his anger shows again.

"You broke out of military school? Are you really the stupid?" Damon walks around the couch to pick up a piece of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table, he looks at Damon with a pout.

"I'd like to think it requires quite a bit of intelligence actually." He looks down at Jeremy suddenly and points at him with a finger. "When did you hit puberty?" He asks both shocked and amused at the same time. "I mean, I assume your balls dropped, your what... fifteen now?"

"Sixteen." Jeremy says quietly and looks at Bonnie briefly who chews her lip.

"Hm, congrats man. You'll love puberty." Jeremy blushes profusely as Bonnie looks at the floor. "Who else do we have? Caroline and little Lockwood? Well that was inevitable, he had a crush on you since you turned him down to the dance thing years ago and went with... Matt Donovan." Damon turns to Matt and smiles at him. "Are you and Elena married yet then?" Damon asks and Matt swallows and looks away quickly.

"They aren't together anymore, Damon." Stefan tells him, too gladly for Elena's liking who is just sat watching Damon.

"Well that one I did not see coming. You guys have been together since the sand box, it was kind of writing in the stars. Am I right?" He looks around at the faces and a sinking feeling fills his stomach.

"You've been gone too long, Damon. Everyone's moved on from looking up to you as the hero." Stefan says smugly and Damon looks at him.

"That's hardly my fault, is it. Liking the new hero hair by the way, much better than the Bieber sweep."

"How is it anyone else's fault that you got your ass kicked into military school?" Stefan says, crossing his arms waiting for a sarcastic answer.

"I did my time, Stefan." Damon turns to Stefan angrily and glares at him. "I was sent there for six months and it's been four years!" Anger erupts from Damon and everyone jumps.

"That's what happens when you don't stick to the rules." Tyler blurts out and Damon turns to him, the lines of his neck becoming visible.

"Stick to the rules? Where's Mason? Huh? What did he get? He got sent back home at the end of the summer! Purely because his parents fucking wanted him there, I got kicked into military school because Giuseppe asked the judge to do it!" Everyone goes silent now. It was an unanswered question after the incident, Damon was seen being pushed onto a bus headed for the military school by Giuseppe while Mason finished his summer with his aunt and uncle in Mystic Falls before returning home to his parents.

"Dad didn't _ask _for you to get sent there. You were on your last warning Damon." Stefan mumbled and Damon's jaw visibly clenched.

"You think he couldn't have pulled strings for me?"

"No, he couldn't have." Stefan says adamantly.

"Well he pulled them to keep me there. Four years, Stefan." Stefan looks nervous suddenly when Damon's eyes settle onto Elena, she looks up at him with a completely neutral face. "I thought maybe you would have come to see me." He pulls a face as if to say _nope, nothing. _"You guys carry on playing your little game of charades, I'm going to be in my room." Damon walks past everyone but swipes a bottle of his father's whiskey off the drinks table and holds it in the air to show everyone.

They all stay silent as Stefan winces when Sam barks suddenly.

"GET THIS FUCKING DOG OUT OF MY BEDROOM BEFORE I THROW HIM OUT THE WINDOW!" Damon yells so loudly that it feels like the boarding house shakes, Stefan quickly jumps up the stairs to get his dog while the others look at each other awkwardly.

"The clothes are vile." Caroline concludes and laughter fills the room while Elena frowns to herself.


	2. Blod is thicker than water?

Damon looks out of the window and watches carefully as Stefan smiles across at Elena, her cheeks pink from the cold air. Stefan presses the back of his hand to her cheek and the quickly removes his jacket, Elena laughs and tries to give it back to him but Stefan grins and wraps his arms around her to keep the jacket on her shoulders. She steps out of his embrace and pulls his jacket tighter around her and walks towards Sam. Stefan watches her for a moment before smiling at his feet and catching up with her.

Damon raises the glass to his lips with a smirk, sipping the bourbon and allowing it to mix with the revenge building in his stomach. He glances at his laptop and reads the e-mail again.

_**Damon,**_

_**Long time no see brother. Give me a call when you want to get out of that wretched town, Chicago could do with another King.**_

_**About the incident, I heard that it was none other than your little brother that ratted you to the cops, the guilt got too much for him and he ran to the station and gave the receptionist a letter and swore her to secrecy via a pinky promise. This is all pillow talk so I could be wrong of course but I rarely am. I figured you knew that already however, apparently not. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.**_

_**Klaus.**_

_**P.S. Blood does run thicker than water, but who we call our own blood is a different story, Brother.**_

It was Stefan all along.

* * *

"You should get a jacket of your own, Elena." She spun round to Damon and looked down at Stefan's jacket laying in the booth beside her.

"I didn't think he was going to make me go walking this morning, I do own jackets, Damon." She smiled and Damon grinned at her.

"Do you mind?" He asked, gesturing to the seat opposite her.

"Of course not, I was just getting a hot chocolate and some soup." Elena told him while rubbing her hands together.

"On your own?" She nodded and he pouted at her. "A gorgeous girl like you shouldn't be having lunch on her own." He inwardly patted himself on the back when she blushed and bit her bottom lip.

"Dating is messy." She shrugged and he crossed his arms on the table.

"You aren't seeing anybody?" When Elena looked at him, he could see confusion in her eyes.

"Not since Matt." She told him and he felt suddenly like he was intruding on her life. "He was ready to get married and have kids."

"You aren't?" Elena looked up at him.

"Sure, one day. Everybody wants to be able to love someone and know they love you back just as much." She seems adamant on this idea and Damon wonders what a week in military school would do to her.

"Not everybody." They hold each other's gaze while her soup and hot chocolate are put on the table in front of her. A silence sits between them and Damon is unsure if it is comfortable or awkward.

"How are you back?" She asks, cradling the mug in her hands and Damon looks away quickly. "Damon?"

"I'm a likeable guy." He hopes it is enough but he knows it isn't.

"What does that mean?"

"I'm buddies with my supervisor." Damon flags down a waiter and asks for some fries as Elena dips bread into her soup.

"Is he nice?" Elena asks when Damon pulls off his leather jacket and thanks the waiter for the fries.

"She's satisfactory." Elena looks up at Damon and he focuses on his fries, her hand reaches and grasps his wrist.

"Please don't say that means what I think it does." He looks at her hand and seems momentarily in awe of how small it still is after four years. Elena's grip tightens and he looks up at her, an array of emotions in her eyes.

"What do you think it means?" He asks quietly. How can she know what he meant?

"Oh god Damon, you didn't sleep with her to get out did you?" Her horrified expression makes Damon pulls his arm away from her hand.

"I had to adapt Elena." He snaps at her and she watches him with pity. "I was fifteen. You think military school has many fifteen year olds in? God no. it's eighteen year olds who beat the crap out of you, they steal your clothes, piss on your bed, and the worst thing is no one gives a shit. Everyone knows and no one cared. Not until she came along and frankly, Elena, I'd rather fuck her than sleep in piss." He stares at Elena angrily.

"I'm so sorry." She whispers and Damon is about to snap at her again when she slides out of her side of the booth and sits beside him, entwining her fingers into his hands that he has in his lap.

"Elena, don't." He whispers and she looks at him. "This is wrong." He frowns.

"Do you remember when you told me you were going. You shrugged at me and said 'six months? That's almost as long as watching Stefan play baseball.' and you saluted me like it was a joke and you walked away." Damon stared at his fries. "I was so angry at you. So unbelievably angry that you just passed it off."

"Elena, I couldn't say goodbye." He wasn't sure he said it loud enough for her to hear, not until her hands gripped around his.

"I know. I realised that after you got on the bus. Everyone on it looked so old and then you got on and you were so small." She sighed as her phone buzzed. He missed the feeling of her hands in his when she picked her phone off the table and looked at it.

_I was just thinking about that time when we all dared you to tell Damon his shirt looked cute and you told him and he pushed you in the lake and you cut your arm really deep and he told our parents you fell in. And you told me he was such a jerk and you hated him! S xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Elena quickly put her phone down on the table but Damon had seen the text.

"That's a lot of x's." He commented and Elena sighed. She stole one of his fries as his hatred for Stefan built even more. Stefan was trying to get Elena to go against him. Ha. Likely. "I was so upset when that happened." She looked up at him as he ran his fingertips along her bare forearm where the small scar was. "I was so angry at myself for hurting you, you kept telling me it was fine and it was just superficial and I remember thinking one," He held up one finger to show her. "how the hell did a twelve year old know the word superficial. And two," He raises another finger. "that I'd never forgive myself for making you hurt."

His two fingers tucked a few loose pieces of hair behind her ear and he saw her swallow thickly. Her lips parted and Damon just had time to see Stefan walk into the Grill before he pressed his lips to Elena's. She moaned into his mouth and he cupped her face with his hands, deepening the kiss. All too soon she had pressed her forehead to his and split their lips from each other.

"I think," She sighed and Damon smirked inwardly. "I think I'm falling in love with Stefan." The words stabbed in his stomach.


	3. Strike One

"I think," She sighed and Damon smirked inwardly. "I think I'm falling in love with Stefan." The words stabbed in his stomach. Stefan. _Stefan. _His little brother.

"Oh." It was an involuntary sound that Damon released and he instantly cursed himself when she ran her hands over his t-shirt down his chest and back into her own lap. "Really? Stefan?" He moves his face away from hers and she looks at him, innocence filling those massive brown eyes that just got to Damon every damn time, even after four years.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asks quietly and Damon feigns being uncomfortable by shuffling in his position and frowning.

"Well, I mean, nothing. It doesn't _mean_ anything, it was just..." She looks at him as he shrugs. "Hey, it's been four years. I'm sure he likes you now." He said it casually and then slowly chewed on an almost cold fry as Elena turned towards him even more.

"You're sure he likes me _now_?" She demanded and Damon looked at her carefully, her cheeks flushed but he didn't know if it was with anger or embarrassment.

"Oh, you know Stefan, he'd say things and I just got the impression that he thought you were kind of...dependable." Bullshit and Damon knew it. She was the most independent person he'd ever met.

"Clingy?" She asks quickly and Damon nods slowly.

"I mean, I always liked how you'd make sure we got home ok but he used to go on and on about you not leaving him alone." Elena's mouth hangs open and Damon quickly lays a hand over her forearm. "I thought it was cute." He stooped his head so he could see the battle in her eyes as they focused on his eyes. He purposefully cocked his head in a boyish manner and grinned. "It meant I knew _you_ were safe." He watches her take a deep breath and the blush deeply before looking away from him.

"How do you do that?" Elena asks and Damon takes the opportunity to move closer to her so that when she turns back to him, their noses almost brush together.

"Do what?" He asks, he can almost feel his eyes twinkle in that way he knows would make Elena's heart race.

"You make my emotions do a 360." She whispers, her eyes dropping to his lips where he lets his tongue slip out to lick along his lips, he almost marks a tally next to his name when her eyes follow his tongue.

"I don't mean to do that." He whispers as low as he can manage and she looks back into his eyes.

"You make me reconsider everything I know." She breathes out as he slowly moves his face closer to hers, brushing his nose against hers until she hungrily presses he lips to his.

Elena sits up further as they kiss, her hands moving around over Damon's chest as his hand carefully moves higher up her leg until she moans into his mouth and he can feel his own groin burning.

"Elena." Elena jumps almost two feet away from Damon when Stefan's voice invades their corner booth. Damon quickly takes hold of her hand and holds it tight enough that she looks down resulting in Stefan looking down at their joined hands too.

"S-Stefan!" Elena stutters and Damon marvels at how red her neck and face becomes.

"Matt needed to ask you something, he's at the bar." Stefan's voice is clipped and angry, Elena quickly pulls her hand out of Damon's and rushes over to Matt. Damon's eyes watch her and he makes sure Stefan is watching when his eyes flick down to her backside. "What are you doing?"

"Having lunch." Damon continues to watch Elena talk to Matt as Stefan sits opposite him. "I forgot how good fries tasted."

"I mean with Elena." Damon looks at Stefan now, feigning innocence.

"What ever would you mean, my dear brother?" Damon exaggerates his voice so much that he's sure he sees Stefan's hackles rise.

"You're baiting me with Elena!" Stefan hisses and Damon conceals his smirk.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you were a fish." Damon leans across the table closer to Stefan, fake fear plastered on his face. "Is it hereditary? Am I going to grow gills?" Stefan quickly shoves at Damon's shoulders and Damon chuckles.

"Stop it, you're going to hurt her." Stefan spits and Damon smirks. "You'll make her get all lovey into you and then you'll go back to military school and she'll be heartbroken."

"Oh man, she did mention something about falling in love!" Damon enjoys the blanched look on Stefan's face.

_"This_ isn't fair. You can't just show up like this. I'll tell her." Stefan and Damon turn to where Elena is heading back towards them.

"Oh yeah, you enjoy telling. Don't you _brother_." If words contained venom, Stefan would be dead on the floor. The look in his eyes confirms that he is the reason Damon has been rotting in military school and this only fuels Damon's fire. "May the best brother win." Damon says quickly as Elena sits beside him. "Hey, you alright?" His voice changes so drastically that Stefan is momentarily in shock.

"Oh yeah, it was just about a babysitting thing we were going to do but he can't make it." Elena shrugs and Damon tucks some hair behind her ear as Stefan sits, grinding his teeth so much he's sure they're turning to powder in his mouth.

"Well, I could tag along." Damon offers and Elena's face lights up.

"Shouldn't you be sneaking back to where you came from?" Stefan asks and Elena glares at Stefan.

"If it's no bother Damon. That would be amazing!" She turns to Damon who quickly shakes his head with a butter wouldn't melt smile.

"I'd love to help. I love kids." He smiles as Stefan shakes his head in anger.

* * *

When Damon knocked on the door, the door instantly flew open to where Mr Gilbert stood. Damon straightened his back.

"Sir." Damon greeted Elena's father as he stared at Damon.

He had never liked Damon. That much was obvious. Just like everyone else in the world, he favoured Stefan, making it blatant when he had told Stefan to call him Grayson and then stared daggers at Damon.

"I didn't believe Elena when she said you were back." Grayson states in his tone that allows for not misinterpretation and under no circumstances should Damon ever argue with this tone. "I figured they'd have packed you onto the army by now." Damon sees Miranda walk past the door with a purse under her shoulder while putting an earring in. "Do something good in your life rather than live off Stefan's back. See, Stefan's a good kid. Causes no trouble and gets into no trouble. That's what my Elena needs. A man." The insinuation makes Damon bristle.

"Grayson, have you got the keys dear?" Miranda called and then gasped when she saw Damon. "Wow! You look a lot older!" She laughs and Damon manages a small smile. "Let him in, you old goofball. I bet he was giving you the 'don't touch my baby girl' speech." Miranda chuckles as Damon steps into the house. "Should of seen the speech he gave Mason Lockwood, 'get him out, I'll chop him off' he said, the poor boy nearly fainted right then and there." Grayson disappeared upstairs as Miranda stood smiling at Damon. "I said to Grayson 'she's not a baby anymore! She's not as innocent as you make out, Gray!' and my god, Damon!" Miranda grasped Damon's forearm as she laughed, Damon smiled with her. "The man marched up to her room and insisted she go on birth control right there and then, she was mortified! She was on Skype to Mason would you believe it and Grayson grabbed the laptop and yelled right at Mason 'If she's pregnant, you had better hope you get sent to military school!'" Damon chuckled purely because he felt like that was what he was meant to do.

"Typical Mr Gilbert." Damon grinned as Mr Gilbert came downstairs with a suit jacket on and ushered his wife out of the door but not before he gave Damon one last death glare. "Elena?" He called up the stairs.

"I'll be down in one second! Make yourself comfy!" She yelled back at him and he looked around.

He felt suddenly cold when he saw photographs of Elena around their home. He picked one up and studied it carefully.

"I hate that picture." Elena mumbled and Damon continued to stare at the photograph of Elena and Stefan. Stefan in his football gear and Elena in her cheer leading outfit. "It's so stereotypical."

"You're just friends." Damon reminds her quickly and she nods.

"I guess." She smiles and Damon puts the photograph down on the table again to turn and look at her.

"Is it bad of me to want you to myself tonight? To just watch a movie in bed with popcorn." He asks tentatively, shocked at how much he really would like that. Elena bites her bottom lip and lowers her eyes to the floor.

"Is it bad of me to tell you that I told the Green's I couldn't babysit tonight?" She asks and his eyebrows shoot into the sky.

"Surprisingly," He strides over to her and carefully pushed the hair of her forehead. "That's very bad of you." His voice is so low that she almost loses control. "But first I need you to tell me about you and Mason." Damon struggles with keeping his voice seductive with this line, he leans his lips into hers, to brush along Elena's lips so that she inhales a shaky breath.

"I, nothing. Nothing is happening with us, he took me to a dance and we went on a couple of dates last summer but he wanted too much from me." Elena's voice is unsteady, her mind on Damon's lips rather than on what she's talking about. Damon's hands wrap around her hips and pull her against him slowly.

"Did you do anything with him?" He asks and she blushes so much Damon feels his own eyes sparkle with adoration until he realises what her blush means. "Elena, did you sleep with Mason Lockwood?" He asks. He isn't sure what he would do if she had. Leave? Permanently?

"No, god no. We just fumbled around in the back of his car. It was awkward and clumsy." She presses her lips to his now when she mistakes Damon's sigh of relief as a moan of pleasure. "I'm still a virgin." She murmurs and then starts kissing Damon's neck slowly.

She's a virgin.

As his eyes close tightly he imagines when he was younger and being on bumper carts and when you ram into someone and you lurch forward. That's how he feels now. He can't take her virginity. Everything that he is, whatever he is trying to do, he can't take her virginity just to win some match with Stefan.

"God I want you." She whispers into his ear and his body reacts quickly, the sudden need for someone important overwhelms him and he can feel his heart start racing in such an unfamiliar way that he pulls away from Elena to press a hand to his chest and take a deep breath. "Are you okay?" She asks softly, placing her hand over Damon's and he looks at her. "I really want to do this with you."

"What about Stef?" He is fully aware of how much of a child his voice sounds and he doesn't care. Elena shrugs and moves aware from him to start walking up the stairs.

If Damon had impeccable hearing, he would have heard her shaky breaths and clattering heart. But he didn't, all he heard was the blood rushing from his head to his groin.

He toed off his shoes before following Elena up the stairs and into her bedroom.

It was different now, of course, instead of the princess bed bunks she had a big double bed and instead of the pink walls they were cream. Everything was so much more grownup.

Damon stepped over to her mirror and looked at the photographs stuck around the edges. He reached out and plucked a photo off the mirror. It was from when they had all gone on the camping trip. In the picture, they are in a lake, the water goes up to just above Damon's hips and higher on everyone else's. Everyone has a massive smile on their face looking at the camera. Stefan, Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Matt. Everyone but Elena is looking at the camera being pointed at them. Her eyes are on Damon as he smiles cockily at the camera, a blush on her face and midway of brushing some hair behind her ear.

"Hey." Elena calls and Damon pushes the photograph into his jeans pocket before turning to smile at her, a small amount of foamed tooth paste on the corner of her mouth where she had brushed her teeth. Somehow this makes Damon stride over to her and slam his mouth against hers, she makes a squeak of shock but her hands start to smooth along the back of his neck as he walks her backwards until the backs of her knees hit her bed and they tumble down together, a small laugh escaping Elena's lips. "This is crazy." Elena whispered and Damon raised himself up onto his elbows, his eyes snap across to a photo on her bedside table.

Elena on Stefan's shoulders as she puts a hat on a giant snowman.

When Damon presses his lips against hers again, he reaches his hand out and turns the photo frame face down.

He sits up on his knees to pull his t-shirt off his body and Elena gulps as she runs her hands over the exposed skin, Damon flicks between watches her hands explore him and watching her face take him in. It isn't until her hands tentatively drifts down to his erection that is exposing itself obviously along his left thigh that Damon starts to quickly unbutton her shirt.

"Do you have a urmm..." Elena blushed and Damon nodded and pulled his wallet out of his pocket, deftly pushing the photo he took from her mirror into one of the compartments before producing the condom. "So you're one of those guys?" Elena chuckled and Damon focused on her carefully.

Yes. He was one of those guys. He was one of those guys that kept at least two condoms in his wallet.

He put the wallet and condom down on the bedside table before kissing Elena's neck softly, her body arching up to his.

She sat up and pulled her shirts off her shoulders and watched Damon unbutton his jeans. She copied him until he quickly pushed her hands away and pulled her jeans down for her, revealing a damp spot in her underwear before he pulled those down too.

When Damon kissed her again she pushed his jeans down with her legs, it was clumsy yet Damon still thought it was perfect. Elena stopped moving for a moment and Damon lifted his head to look at her, his eyes met hers and then suddenly her hand was in his boxers and his eyes rolled.

It was something Damon had never experienced. His eyes rolling by the mere touch of a hand on his length.

Her hand was small and soft as she moved it up and down Damon, every muscle in his body clenching tightly for some kind of stability. He grappled for the condom, noticing his hands shaking as Elena watched him push his boxers down to his knees, her breath hitched at the sight of him touching himself and he looked up at her.

She committed to memory how dark his blue eyes had become as he crawled back onto of her, he kissed her softly even though her lips stopped responding to his when she felt him at her entrance, his hands gripped into his back as he slowly pushed himself inside.

A sound erupted from Elena but neither of them could decide on whether it was pain or pleasure.

When he had filled her up, Damon stopped. He stopped moving his hips, he stopped kissing her. Instead he adjusted his face so it was buried into the pillow beside her head.

Elena's hips shuffled beneath him and Damon pulled out and pushed back in. It felt perfectly awkward. As if it was his first time as well.

Her finger nails were digging deep into his skin and he relished in the pain. It made the ache in his chest less obvious.

Damon slipped a hand beneath him to rub on her sensitive spot and Elena trembled beneath him instantly. His mind was so mixed up, his thoughts clashing together in a way that infuriated him. However, out of all the thoughts his biggest one was the fact he was leaving in two days. He had to go back to the damn school.

"Damon!" It was so abrupt, he hadn't realised he had been moving harder and faster, his emotions spilling out until she clenched around him and Damon spilled out the condom. He was never that fast.

She was holding him to her body tightly, panting into his shoulder as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"My parents aren't coming home tonight." She whispered, her voice crackly from yelling during her orgasm. "Will you stay?" She asked and Damon nodded, he pulled out from his and tugged off the condom, knotting it automatically and pulling up his boxers before dropping it in the bin beside her bed.

When he looked back at Elena, she was under the covers gazing at him, her eyes smiling softly. Damon slid between the sheets as well and Elena quickly snuggled into his chest with a content sigh.


	4. The morning after

Damon didn't try to sleep. There was no point in that.

You know when you're so determined not to think about something that you focus on your heartbeat or your blinking? Well, Damon was staring at the ceiling trying not to blink. It wasn't working because he could still feel all the emotions travelling through his body alarmingly slowly.

His hand reached out subconsciously and patted the bedside table until his hand landed on his wallet, he carefully pulled the photograph of everyone at the lake out of his pocket and moved it around in front of his eyes until the moonlight shone onto it and he could see the faces.

He was so up himself. Everyone in the lake would do whatever the hell he wanted and he always wanted a lot.

Elena gazing at him as if he was some kind of hero. That was before Mason.

Damon's eyes moved to Stefan now and he realised that Stefan wasn't looking at the camera. He was looking at Elena, his big hazel eyes glinting softly as he looked across at her while she had watched Damon.

Damon swallowed thickly as the guilt rushed through him. He blinked once and felt the tear fall from his eye and travel down his cheek and into Elena's hair as she cuddled into him.

She inhaled a deep breath and as she released it, she pulled herself even closer to Damon, her small hand drifting around on his naked body.

_"Are you going to the dance?" Damon asked Elena quietly as they sat on the back row watching the giant screen of a stupid movie that Stefan had suggested._

_"My Mom is desperate for me to go but I haven't got a date so I don't know yet. Why? Are you?" Elena whispers back, her head resting on Damon's shoulder._

_"I have to go. Giuseppe makes Stefan and I go, it's stupid."_

_"I think you look great." Elena whispers and blushes as Damon chuckles. "I mean, last year you wore that blue tie I got you for your birthday and it makes your eyes look really pretty." _

_"Pretty? I was going for dashing and sexy." He murmurs into her hair before inhaling her fresh flowery scented shampoo._

_"You always look dashing."_

_"What about sexy?"_

_"Stop being annoying, I wanna watch this movie. I have to do a review on it with Stefan for homework." Damon rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulder so Elena's head lurched off him and she looked at him shocked._

_"It's a crap movie. The dog dies. I'm going home." Damon stands and pulls his jacket off Elena's lap before bounding down the stairs with Klaus jogging after him._

_"She's too young for you anyway, Damon." Klaus hisses as they leave and Damon rolls his eyes._

_"And she's too good for Stefan, the little shit can't have her."_

_"Neither can you."_

_"I don't want her. I just refuse to let Stef have her." Damon snaps as the two of them unlock their bikes._

_"Then she's going to destroy the two of you because he loves her just as much as you do. If not more."_

_"I don't love her. I don't believe in love." As Damon swings his leg over his bike, he sees Elena walking up to him and Klaus grabs his forearm._

_"Let me know when you stop kidding yourself because I want to see your face when you realise." They both turn to Elena who is wrapping her arms around herself._

_"Please come back in, if Marley does die then I want you to be there so I can hug you. You always make it better."_

Damon grabs his phone and raises it above his head to take a picture, he types 'Im in love with Elena Gilbert' into the bar and then snapchats it to Klaus for one second.

* * *

"So," Damon briefly looks over his shoulder at Elena as she sits with her back against her headboard, the sheets pulled up around her chest as she blushes at him getting dressed at the foot of her bed. "What now?" Damon feels the dropping of his heart.

"I'm going back to the boarding house to sort some stuff out." He mumbles vaguely and feels Elena shuffling closer to him until she wraps her arms around him from behind. He tries desperately to ignore the heat from her breasts pressed against his back.

"Can it wait an hour?" She purrs and Damon's eyes roll, her hand moving lower over his chest.

"Someone has gotten confident." Damon hisses as she grasps him through his boxers, his jeans at his knees.

"Maybe you rubbed off on me..." Elena kisses the side of his neck and Damon squeezes his eyes shut. "Kind of like this." Damon stomach clenched tightly as her hand slipped into his boxers to wrap around him and move up and down his quickly growing length painfully slow. "Tell me, Damon." He reaches behind him to thread his hands into her hair. "Tell me how you like it."

"Tighter." He choked out and Elena's small hand gripped him until he released a guttural moan and she moaned back at him.

Damon quickly pushed his boxers down as Elena moved away from him to kneel in front of him, she looked up at his darkened eyes before taking him in her hand and working him up and down as he gaped at her, trying to keep his eyes open when they just wanted to roll permanently in his mind. When he feels her lips on his tip he releases a deep growl and she giggles.

"Elena..." He groans her name and she responds by tentatively wrapping her lips around him and sucking him into her mouth. "Oh...God!" His head falls back as she lowers her mouth on him and his hips buck into her so he hits the back of her throat and she barely even flinches. Damon's hands grab onto her hair again as he tries desperately to ground himself.

It barely takes another two minutes before he is clenching his jaw and hissing her name but she just looks up at him with those big brown eyes and he explodes in her mouth.

"Wow." She giggles as she climbs into Damon's lap, snuggling her face into his neck as he falls back on the bed, wrapping his arms around her and trying to calm himself. "It's going to be hard to keep my hands off you when I come and visit."

Damon freezes. His eyebrows knitting together as she starts to run her fingers over his short hair.

"I can't wait until you get to grow this out again." She murmurs. "I loved your hair, it used to suit your mood. When you were angry it would look so dark and when you were happy it would be so fluffy." Damon stares at the ceiling.

"How does it look when I regret something?" He asks and feels Elena tense.

"Damon..." She says carefully and then she pushes her nose into his temple. "Don't do this. I know you and I know you don't regret what just happened."

"You shouldn't have trusted me, Elena. I'm just trying to hurt Stefan." He pushes her away roughly and stands, pulling his boxers and jeans up.

"Don't lie to me." She hisses and Damon forces out a laugh.

"Let Stefan know that I got your first. Take a picture of his face and I'll frame it." He doesn't look at her again until he is walking onto the street and he looks up at her bedroom window.

She's on the phone, one hand covering her mouth as she tries to conceal her sobs, watching him leave.

He forces his hand into the air and gives her the most 'I don't give a fuck' wave he can.

As soon as he is out of sight he rips his phone from his pocket and dials quickly.

"Brother, how's life on the outside!" Klaus asks and Damon clenches the phone.

"How much does it cost to get out of military school and get drunk until I can't walk?" Damon hisses and Klaus clears his throat.

"A fair bit for anyone other than me. I'll pay for it so long as you come out here with me." Klaus offers and Damon smiles as much as his body will let him.

"I was hoping you'd say that."


	5. Mrs Salvatore

Damon trotted down that stairs looking around, he could have sworn he was wearing a shirt earlier. He took a long pull from his bourbon bottle and leaned on the door frame to watch Klaus paint.

"What do you think?" Klaus turn to him and Damon focuses on the painting. Caroline with her arms around a horse.

"I think you're obsessed, brother." Damon raises an eyebrow and smirks.

"Coming from you, how is Elena?" He bites back and Damon shrugs.

"Who's Elena?" Klaus laughs softly, pretending he doesn't see Damon swallow an obscene amount of alcohol.

"Speaking of Elena, this came for you." Klaus strides to the piano and tosses an envelope at Damon, it hits his chest and falls to the floor so he crouches to pick it up however, he finds he can't push himself back up to standing so instead he just drops to the floor.

The envelope was thick and cream and as Damon turned it over in his hands he recognised Elena's smooth writing.

_Mr Damon Salvatore_

He read his name over and over. Why didn't it look right? The letters weren't right. He studied it and saw the small splodge marks of the fountain pen having stopped writing before carrying on.

Damon pulled his car keys from his pocket and used the key to cut open the envelope.

The thick card he pulled out confused him.

_I'm getting married. Stefan._

He turned it over but that's all it said. Klaus was looking at Damon with a sly grin but Damon was too drunk to see it or care about it.

Stefan was marrying Elena.

* * *

Whatever had happened, Stefan was his brother.

Damon repeated it in his head over and over during the flight. He repeated it over and over as he waited in the airport. By the time he got in his Camaro there was little else he could think about it.

That is until he saw the envelope on the passengers seat with Elena's writing again and suddenly he could only think of her. What had happened when he'd left? How soon after did she get with Stefan? How did Stefan propose? How did she say yes? What would it be like to wake up every morning beside her?

Three years. A lot could happen in six years. Like his father dying and Matt going missing for six months and coming back with a European woman who couldn't speak English.

Damon stopped the car just outside the Boarding House. Stefan's Porsche was parked in the open garage beside a big SUV and Damon could see Elena in the SUV. He killed the engine and waited for a moment before pulling himself from the car and striding up to the Boarding House doors.

The door opened before he had even knocked and Caroline stood there.

She was the only one he had seen in the six years, well he had heard her in Klaus' bedroom everyone few months.

"You shouldn't be here." She hissed at him, her hand on her hips as she held her ground.

"First of all, I have an invite." He waved the envelope in her face. "Second of all, I _own _this house, Blondie, so I can be here whenever I want to be here." He pushed past her to where Stefan was stood.

"You own a quarter, I own the quarters so I own the damn majority, Damon." Stefan declared and Caroline huffed in amusement.

"If you were just going to snap at me why the hell did you invite me to you and Elena's wedding because I have a whole _stack _of better things to do!" Damon hissed and Caroline started laughing hysterically.

"Damon, I'm not..."

"NO! Don't tell him!" Caroline interrupted Stefan as Stefan grinned at her.

"Tell me what?" Damon demanded which made Caroline laugh even harder. "Are you going to tell me or can I go to my room?"

"Yesh, Damon, You can go up to your woom to got beddy byes!" Caroline mocked Damon and he turned to her. "Your fault for asking." She smirked and Damon smirked back.

"I'd suggest being nice to me, Blondie." He said sweetly and Caroline pulled a face, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And why the hell would I do that?" She grinned and Damon stared at her.

"Because I'm assuming you don't want Tyler to know all about your little sleep overs with Niklaus." He snarled and Caroline shrank back.

"Ignore him Care." Stefan quickly intervened and Damon stepped away with a smile. "He's trying to inflate his ego."

"My ego is a whole lot smaller than the size of that hero hair, baby bro." He called over his shoulder as he headed up to his bedroom, giving that damn dog a sly smack on his way.

* * *

"Come out dressed." Damon freezes in his shower. Her voice filling his ears within hours of him getting to Mystic Falls. He let the water crash over him for a good five minutes before shutting off the water and wrapping a towel around his waist and bracing himself.

She was sat on his bed. Her hair curled slightly at the ends. She wore jeans and a hoodie even though it was hot outside.

"I said clothes not a towel." She mumbled and Damon swallowed.

"I uhhh didn't take any into the shower." He bowed his head and crossed to his bag on the bed beside her, she stood up and walked to the other side of his room to lean her back on his dresser. Damon pulled a t-shirt over his head and a pair of jeans up under his towel before unwrapping the towel and rubbing his hair with it.

"You grew your hair out." She comments and Damon sighs.

"My ears kept getting cold." He responds quickly, turning to her. She looks at his hair.

"It isn't covering your ears now." She mutters and Damon screams in his head. He screams that he grew it out so that she could run her fingers through it. "I just wanted to see you."

"OK." They lock eyes and Damon is the one to look away first. "Elena..."

"Was it because I didn't come and see you?" She asks abruptly and Damon looks at her again, the towel being loosely held in his hands. "Was it your revenge?" She asked and she wasn't angry. She was upset.

"No." He chokes out and she nods.

"I think it was. I came to see if I could forgive you." Damon stared at her, something wasn't right. "I needed you."

"No one _needs _me, Elena. I'm bad for people. Y-you should stay away." He tells her and she gets angry now, she glares at him.

"I needed you when they died." Elena takes a step towards him and Damon steps back even though she's across the room.

"When who died?" He asked, she gaped at him.

"If you're trying to get me to hate you then keep going because I swear to God, Damon!" Elena yells at him and Damon looks around the room, wishing for a clue.

"Giuseppe?" He asks, who else has died in Mystic Falls?

"Everyone told me you'd be an even bigger asshole now but I didn't believe them, Damon wouldn't change, I told them and I was so wrong. Even now you're trying to make me hurt! Well, guess what? I can't hurt anymore, Damon. I have no more hurt to give." She clutched at the jumper over her heart and Damon felt his own heart ache, what the hell had happened? "I thought it was best for you when I didn't come see you in military school! How the fuck did you think leaving me alone was best for me?" She's yelling at him now and Damon wants the ground to swallow him up.

"Maybe I did it for me." He shrugs.

"Well obviously! Not one time did you show up, not even a text!" Elena screams, she's crying, Damon realises and he frowns. It just isn't adding up.

"It was just sex." He frowns as Elena narrows her eyes at him.

"We aren't talking about that!" She shouts and he holds his hands up.

"Then I'm fucking lost!" Damon declares and Elena takes a step toward him again.

"When everyone was dying around me and you didn't even show up. Remember now?" She asks and he steps towards her.

"Who's died, Elena?"

"My parents and Jenna and Ric!" She screams and shakes her head, rushing for the door but Damon runs to her and grabs her shoulders, staring at her intently.

"I didn't know." He tells her and she scoffs. "I swear." He tells Elena and she looks up at him.

"Caroline told Klaus to tell you." Elena whimpers and Damon shakes his head.

"No one told me." Damon insists and she frowns. "I would have come. I would have." His eyes drop to her lips and he wants to kiss her. Desperately. But she's marrying Stefan. He pulls away and she steps closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding so tight that it's all Damon can do not to cry. "Elena, I'm with someone." He tells her and she jumps away from him.

"Oh, who?" She asks and Damon panics, who is he with? No one! He's never got an actual girlfriend!

"Andie." He lies. Andie? He's fucked her maybe three times! "I like her." Damon adds for good measure. He _has _ to distance himself from Elena.

"At least we know you can be a good guy then." She smiles softly and then goes quiet. "Is she coming to the wedding?" Elena asks and Damon kicks himself. This means she does remember Stefan.

"I errrr, I can ask her." He shrugs and she nods. "I'll text her now..." He mumbles to fill the silence. Damon walks to the bed and picks up his phone, tapping a quick text to Andie. She replies within five seconds. "She said cool."

"Great." Elena smiles tightly and Damon turns to her.

"When is it?" He asks and she tells him it's next week.

"Are you excited?" It sounds like something a friend would ask to a friend who is getting married so he said it.

"No, I hate her." Damon frowns.

"Hate who?" He asks and Elena frowns back at him.

"Rebekah." Elena tells him and his mouth drops.

"I though you and..."

"Me and Stefan?" She asks and he nods. Elena starts laughing hysterically. "God, no! You Salvatore's are too dramatic for me." She stops laughing and bites her lip. "I'm going to go." She says suddenly and heads to the door. "Tell Andie I'm looking forward to meeting the girl who got your heart." She adds and Damon stares after her.

Great, he thinks, now Elena thinks he is a good guy in a good relationship.

_**A/N:**__** So Damon though Elena was marrying Stefan! We're going to have Damon finding out about all the deaths next chapter while he is trying to play the good guy! Reviews :D**_


End file.
